Federal Communications Commission	DA 22-742



DA 22-742
Released:  July 11, 2022

FCC ANNOUNCES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WEBINAR ON THE BROADBAND DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM FOR TRIBAL FILERS AND LEADERS 
WC Docket No. 19-195; WC Docket No. 11-10
The FCC’s Broadband Data Task Force (BDTF) and Office of Native Affairs and Policy (ONAP) will hold a virtual webinar on its new Broadband Data Collection (BDC) on July 26, 2022, starting at 2:00 PM ET.  The webinar will review the BDC system for Tribal leaders, Tribal broadband internet service providers and other Tribal filers who will submit broadband availability data in the inaugural BDC filing window, and answer participant questions.  The webinar will familiarize filers with how to navigate the BDC system, how to access and work with the “Fabric” – a common dataset of all locations in the United States where fixed broadband internet access service can be installed and will serve as the foundation on which the availability data filed by fixed broadband providers will be overlaid – and how to submit availability data.  Representatives of Tribal broadband internet service providers and IT managers, as well as Tribal government leaders and telecommunications regulators, are particularly encouraged to attend.
Facilities-based internet service providers, including Tribal providers, are required to file granular data in the BDC system on where they make mass-market broadband internet access service available starting on June 30, 2022 and ending on September 1, 2022. Establishing the Digital Opportunity Data Collection; Modernizing the FCC Form 477 Data Program, WC Docket Nos. 19-195, 11-10, Third Report and Order, 36 FCC Rcd 1126, 1130-31, 33-34, paras. 10-11 & n.42, 16-17 (2021).  The Broadband DATA Act requires the Commission to collect broadband Internet access service data from each “provider of fixed or mobile broadband Internet access service.”  Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act, Pub. L. No. 116-130, 134 Stat. 228 (2020) (codified at 47 U.S.C. §§ 641-646) § 641(11) (Broadband DATA Act).  These as-of dates and filing deadlines were established by the Commission in the Second Order and Third Further Notice.  See Establishing the Digital Opportunity Data Collection; Modernizing the FCC Form 477 Data Program, WC Docket Nos. 19-195, 11-10, Second Report and Order and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 35 FCC Rcd 7460, 7484, para. 55 (2020); Broadband Data Task Force and Office of Economics and Analytics Announce Inaugural Broadband Data Collection Filing Dates, WC Docket Nos. 19-195, 11-10, Public Notice, DA 22-182 (BDTF/OEA 2022).
  Authorized Tribal governmental entities may also submit verified broadband availability data for their areas. Broadband Data Task Force Issues Guidance to State, Local, and Tribal Governmental Entities for Filing Verified Broadband Availability Data as Part of the Broadband Data Collection, WC Docket Nos. 19-195, 11-10, Public Notice, DA 22-417 (BDTF/WCB/WTB/OET 2022).
  More information about the categories of providers that must file availability data, the entities that may also submit verified availability data, and what data must be filed can be found at https://www.fcc.gov/BroadbandData/filers.  
The webinar will provide a brief overview of the BDC system, including how to access the BDC system (and related systems, such as the Commission Registration System, or CORES) and upload availability data for filing prior to September 1.  The event will also help familiarize participants with the Fabric data, including providing information on the processes by which Tribal broadband providers and Tribal government entities may obtain access to the production Fabric, how to work with Fabric data when submitting fixed broadband availability data, and how to review the Fabric to prepare for submitting challenges to the data.
The “production” Fabric dataset became available for broadband providers and governmental entities to access on June 23, 2022. Broadband Data Task Force Announces the Availability of the Production Version of the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric, WC Docket Nos. 19-195, 11-10, Public Notice, DA 22-668 (BDTF/WCB/OEA 2022).
  The FCC developed the Fabric in consultation with its contractor, CostQuest Associates.  More information about the Fabric challenge process can be found in the Data Specifications for Bulk Fabric Challenges, https://us-fcc.app.box.com/v/bdc-bulk-fabric-challenge-spec. 
FCC staff will be available to answer participant questions. 
The schedule for the webinar will be as follows: 
· 2:00 – 3:30 PM Welcome; Overview of the Broadband Data Collection system and Fabric data; Technical Assistance 
· 3:30 – 4:00 PM Q&As and Concluding Remarks
To register to participate remotely, interested parties should send an e-mail with name, contact information, and Tribal affiliation, if any, to BDCwebinar@fcc.gov.  Participants will be able to submit questions during the webinar through the WebEx platform.  Questions may also be submitted in advance at:  BDCwebinar@fcc.gov.  The webinar will be recorded and made available on the FCC’s website and YouTube channel following the event.  The webinar will be webcast with open captioning at www.fcc.gov/live.  
Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request.  Include a description of the accommodation you will need and tell us how to contact you if we need more information.  Make your request as early as possible.  Last minute requests will be accepted but may be impossible to fill. Send an e-mail to: FCC504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice).  
For additional information about the webinar, please contact the Office of Native Affairs and Policy:  Sayuri Rajapakse, Acting Chief, sayuri.rajapakse@fcc.gov or Lloyd Collier, Legal Advisor, lloyd.collier@fcc.gov. 
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